Chapter – 20
“Annette, are there any cards that have come for me?”
“Ah, I was going to collect them and give them to you at noon, but shall I bring them now?”
“Yes, please.”
Soon, Annette brought over a large pile of cards.
Just at a glance, it was quite a substantial amount.
“There are so many invitations addressed to Lady Irene! Even as I was collecting them, more kept arriving in real-time.”
“Wow, that’s wonderful.”
All of these cards were invitations.
Of course—it made sense. Yesterday’s engagement ceremony had been, in a way, my semi-debut.
Apparently, those who had met me at the afterparty were so excited that they sent invitations eagerly.
In the original story, there was even a scene where the heroine is astonished by the flood of invitations the day after her debut.
‘Still, this much is surprising.’
I began sorting through the enormous stack of cards one by one.
It wasn’t certain whether what I was looking for would be among them.
Fortunately, it wasn’t long before I found one invitation that stood out noticeably in the pile.
‘Wow, it’s dazzling.’
The pure white invitation adorned with ornate golden decorations radiated a commanding presence.
I quickly picked it up and checked the sender.
‘As expected.’
A smile spread across my face.
The sender was Cordelia Bernadette, the youngest saint I had met at the afterparty yesterday.
The dazzling invitation hinted at the wealth of the prestigious Bernadette Count family.
“This is… an invitation from Lady Cordelia?”
I pretended to be surprised.
“Cordelia sent an invitation…?”
“Of course! Lady Irene hasn’t formally gone through the Saint’s appointment ceremony yet, but you are officially recognized as a Saint. Would you like to attend, Lady Irene?”
I had already received so many perks just from being recognized as a Saint.
If I had slipped up even slightly during the verification process, it would have been disastrous. Haha.
Thinking about that made me a little nervous, but I nodded.
“Yes! I would love to go.”
Annette’s face lit up with a pleased expression, as if she were seeing a daughter excited to visit a friend’s house for the first time.
“Oh, the invitation is for Wednesday. Lady Cordelia is famous for holding regular social gatherings on Wednesdays.”
“I see!”
Of course, I knew that. That was why, out of this huge pile of invitations, I had sought Cordelia’s specifically.
“I hope I can become friends with Cordelia.”
I looked forward to it with the excitement of a child at the prospect of making a new friend.
“Annette, please send a reply confirming my attendance.”
“Yes, Lady Irene!”
Annette nodded happily.
“Also, this might seem sudden, but…”
Annette hesitated, even twisting her fingers nervously.
I opened my eyes wide and asked, “What is it?”
“This look suits you much better!”
This look?
…Ah.
I looked at my hair. At that moment, I wasn’t using any transformation powder. In other words, I had my natural pink hair and golden eyes.
‘Since everyone already saw me yesterday, continuing to disguise myself with transformation powder would be silly.’
Still, pink hair…
I looked at my hair with a slightly awkward feeling. The cotton-candy bright color was exactly the kind of flashy shade that the Dark Guild operative “#76” had tried desperately to hide.
“You really look like a Saint straight out of a fairy tale.”
Annette said, squirming as she gave me such an obvious compliment.
“Ha, thank you. Ah, and Annette… thank you for what happened the other day.”
I lowered my voice and thanked her.
Sir Joan was standing some distance away, and Annette lowered her voice as well and whispered.
“It’s nothing. I’m just glad I could help.”
“You know, Annette, the engagement ceremony is such an important day. But that morning, the transformation powder wore off unexpectedly, and I was so flustered.”
“Yes, I would have felt the same way.”
The kind and pure Annette seemed to believe my words completely.
I felt guilty. Annette, an angelic fairy, had been deceived by me. I would surely deserve a trip to hell for this.
“I won’t forget my promise.”
“Oh! You really don’t need to repay me for it.”
We whispered like smug smugglers or looters.
Sir Joan gave us a long, quiet look, so I turned my head slightly and pretended to sip tea.
Fortunately, Sir Joan didn’t come over to question us about what we were talking about.
“Lady Irene seems to be adapting well to life in the cathedral.”
“Is that so?”
Lucian’s report drew only a casual response from Ian.
“Yes. Today, she replied that she will attend Lady Cordelia’s tea party invitation.”
“Cordelia, huh.”
Ian tilted his head slightly.
Cordelia Bernadette was the only Saint of Irene’s age, making her a potentially valuable person to get close to.
But was Ian really acting based solely on such simple calculations?
He recalled the brazen face that had handed him strands of pink hair last night, laughing shamelessly.
‘Next time, I’ll show her my real self. That’s all for now! It’s late at night.’
Even thinking back, Ian could only let out a low, incredulous laugh.
‘A woman I can’t predict at all.’
It was difficult to define her with a single phrase.
At first, he thought she was just excessively frightened of him.
That wasn’t unpleasant. It made dealing with her easier.
But…
‘A kiss on the cheek. Hurry!’
‘We both have things we’re hiding.’
In just a few days, Ian had already found himself repeatedly surprised by her.
A woman whose actions couldn’t be easily anticipated. Who knew what unexpected side she would reveal tomorrow?
Ian hated variables.
And yet, his gaze kept drifting toward her, bouncing like a spring.
“How’s the Count of Parras doing?”
“Still not speaking. He must be acting on someone’s orders.”
“Investigate the Duke of Biontin.”
“Understood.”
Lucian nodded at the mention of Duke Biontin, a prominent pro-Emperor faction member.
Whoever had ordered Count Parras, the top figure behind it was obvious.
Ian smirked slightly at the thought of his brother’s face.
He had sworn long ago never to lose something precious to him again.
And Irene Grace was currently a highly valuable strategic partner.
‘The only downside is that she’s unpredictable.’
“She said she would attend Saint Cordelia’s invitation, right?”
“Lady Irene? Yes, that’s correct.”
“Send my carriage.”
“Ah, yes! Understood.”
Lucian’s eyes widened in surprise for a moment, but he soon bowed and replied.
“What’s this?”
I looked up at the enormous carriage.
Its aura alone was enough to suggest it was extraordinary.
A pure white carriage adorned with azure decorations. Massive yet beautiful, it seemed like something a god in a myth might ride.
Annette’s eyes widened in surprise.
“This is Ian’s carriage…! Sir Joan, did Ian really send this carriage?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Wow…”
Annette gaped at the carriage, her eyes sparkling.
Judging by her reaction, it seemed uncommon, even for a fiancée, to have someone send their personal carriage.
‘Feels like taking a private jet with the lover’s initials on it.’
The interior was surprisingly cozy.
Sir Joan explained that multiple defensive magics were active.
It sounded like a state-of-the-art fortress in the shape of a carriage.
Thanks to that, I could travel comfortably to Lady Cordelia’s estate.
It didn’t take long before we arrived at the Bernadette Count family residence.
“Welcome, Lady Irene Grace, is that correct?”
A man who appeared to be a butler of the Bernadette household greeted me respectfully, glancing at the carriage with awe.
“The lady is waiting. Please follow this way.”
Following the butler’s lead, I moved into the estate.
I could feel the countless eyes of the staff upon me.
The butler opened a large, ornate salon door for me.
Bright light, music, and laughter poured out from inside.
The laughter abruptly stopped the moment everyone noticed me.
“Ah, you’ve come, Lady Irene.”
Cordelia approached me with a noble presence.
Her golden hair and rosy cheeks were as lovely as ever.
‘Her fashion sense is still… quite unique.’
Cordelia was dressed in clashing, vivid colors and accessories.
A ruby-red necklace and sapphire-blue earrings formed a strikingly discordant combination.
‘And yet she’s beautiful. No wonder her face is overpowering.’
“Hello, Lady Cordelia! I’m so glad to have been invited.”
I smiled brightly as I greeted her.
Cordelia lifted her chin gracefully and led me to a table.
Those already seated greeted me.
“Pleased to meet you, I’m Aden of the Othello Count family.”
“Hello, Lady Irene. I’m Lorena of the Alois Baron family.”
Aden and Lorena seemed to be Cordelia’s closest aides, judging by how they had secured the seats beside her before I arrived.
I greeted them while following Cordelia’s lead and sat next to her.
Cordelia spoke.
“The entire capital has been talking about you.”
“I think that’s too much attention.”
“Not at all. You are the first lover chosen by Sir Ian, after all.”
At that moment, Lorena interjected, eyes gleaming with curiosity.
“By the way, is the story in today’s Imperial Morning true? That Lady Irene was kidnapped—”
“Lorena.”
Click. Cordelia set down her teacup.
Lorena jumped in surprise and looked at Cordelia.
“Let’s refrain from asking too personal questions today.”
“Oh, yes. My apologies, Lady Irene…”
Lorena lowered her head in apology.
I glanced at Cordelia, slightly surprised.
‘Is she trying to protect me from recalling painful memories?’
Cordelia seemed unexpectedly gentle at heart.
‘Her appearance and her nature are completely different.’
As we exchanged small talk about trivial things like the weather, the salon door opened once more.
“Hello! Sorry to keep you waiting!”
Several people entered energetically, pushing a huge clothing rack.
The rack was loaded with dazzlingly extravagant outfits.
“We’ve brought all the latest products obtained by our Othello guild.”
“Our Alois guild has imported the finest silk from the western kingdom to create a unique impression.”
The well-dressed staff eagerly promoted the items to Cordelia.
Cordelia and her close friends observed the display with practiced ease.
‘Ah, so this is a sort of content show.’
It was visually entertaining, at least.
‘But why such a thing?’
Soon, I frowned.
Staff from the Othello and Alois guilds were offering Cordelia jewelry—one presented deep purple earrings, another a pale blue necklace.
‘Even with her face, that’s… too much.’
I unconsciously clicked my tongue.
‘Wait. Othello and Alois guilds… could it be?’
I looked at Aden Othello and Lorena Alois, Cordelia’s closest aides.
They watched their guild staff promoting products with pleased expressions.
‘Hmm.’
“Truly, it suits you perfectly.”
“I’ve never seen anyone pull off this color so well.”
Cordelia smiled faintly, wearing the purple earrings and pale blue necklace.
The two colors could harmonize in tone, but these pieces created a strikingly dissonant combination.
It was almost as if, because her beauty was overwhelming, she intentionally toned herself down.
